


when the crypt doors creak

by bleulily (winterfells)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Halloween, Haunted House, M/M, Modern AU, Slightly spooky, Trick or Treating, minor adashi, trick or treating with the niece and nephew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 12:19:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16475438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterfells/pseuds/bleulily
Summary: “I thought you were lost in here,” Keith said softly.Lance shook his head. “I was exploring the kitchen,” he assured Keith. “I’m not sure what happened in this house, but I think it’s haunted. There’s some really weird stuff going on around here.”In which Keith and Lance go trick or treating with Lance's niece and nephew, and end up getting lost in a haunted house.





	when the crypt doors creak

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CatnipPacket](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatnipPacket/gifts).



> A few friends and I did a little Halloween exchange, so this is the little fic I wrote for [ Selena](https://twitter.com/catnippacket)! It's based on the prompt "pre-klance where Lance takes his niece and nephew trick or treating and Keith tags along and then they both are back home and checking the candy together while the kids watch Halloween specials on TV and Keith is like omg this could be our life if we got married and had kids...I'm gay"
> 
> Special thanks to [ Meagan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aknightley), [ Brigid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstinspace), [ Noelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenericHero/pseuds/GenericHero) and [ Miranda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/221bdisneystreet/pseuds/221bdisneystreet) who helped me beta-read this.
> 
>  
> 
> Title comes from Grim Grinning Ghosts

“Do you think Uncle Lance will be mad at me if I steal one of his chocolates?” Sylvio asked.

Keith turned to look at the little kid hanging from his hand. He was barely four years old and yet he was already as clever and mischievous as his uncle, always knowing exactly what to say to convince his elders to do as he pleased. It was an amusing thing for Keith to watch--almost like watching little Lance tricking his mother into giving him his favourite food on a daily basis, or convincing his older siblings to play his favorite game whenever he wanted.

“You know how he is whenever you steal his favorite food,” Keith replied. “From my experience, I really don’t recommend it.”

Sylvio seemed to think about it before he locked eyes with Keith again. “Have you stolen food from him?”

Keith nodded. “I came home early from soccer practice one time and found some garlic knots on our kitchen table. Let’s just say he made sure I didn’t have any snacks to enjoy for the next month.”

Sylvio laughed at Keith’s response and jumped towards his uncle. Lance and Nadia were discussing the sweets they had gotten from Allura’s home, trying to figure out who had collected more during the night. Lance had argued that he would win a competition for more candy because his Victorian vampire costume was better than Keith’s werewolf costume, which consisted of a shredded shirt and pair of furry ears he had stolen from Shiro’s old room.

“Uncle Lance, is it true that you stole Keith’s snacks for an entire month?” the little boy asked in delight.

Lance turned to him, a huge grin forming on his face. He looked at Keith before turning to his nephew again, nodding quickly. “You know Keith deserved it.”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll steal your sweets too when the night ends.” Keith pointed at the bag Lance was carrying, which was slightly fuller than Keith’s. “You deserve it.”

Lance gracefully stuck out his tongue at him and Keith laughed as the two children walked ahead of them. They were talking about the people they had visited and wondering how long Lance would let them be out trick-or-treating. He had promised to take them back home safely and at a reasonable hour , and though Luis had said he didn’t mind them arriving home late, Lance knew Lisa wouldn’t be happy if her kids weren’t home early in the evening.

“How many more houses can we visit?” Nadia asked.

Lance looked down at his watch, his eyelashes nearly falling down to his cheeks in a way that made Keith’s heart flutter. Lance had always been beautiful, but there was something about the costume he was wearing--how his curls fell down in a perfect cascade and his eyes perfectly matched with his vest-- that made him even more striking. Keith forced himself to look away.

“Maybe three more houses, depends on how talkative the families are. That lady from across the street sure had a lot to say.”

Sylvio and Nadia muttered something to each other, then turned to look at the old, abandoned house at the end of the block. Keith had come across it a couple of times and had mentioned to Shiro how fun it would be if he and Adam moved in--especially if it was haunted. Shiro said old houses were practically useless and more expensive than they appeared since they always needed a lot of remodelling. and he wasn’t sure how willing he was to pay for all the expenses.

“We should go to that house!” Sylvio exclaimed as he realised the door was open. “The last one to get there should give the winner all their chocolates!”

The two kids ran inside before Keith and Lance could react, both yelling that they would win the other’s chocolates. Keith and Lance stared at each other, their brows furrowed with worry. They knew the house was abandoned, but neither of them was sure how safe it would be for the two kids to just barge in, especially since the door was already open.

They followed the children inside, walking warily as Keith heard the door close behind them. The wooden floor creaked as they moved, and their shallow breaths were loud around the empty room. The children were nowhere in sight, and Keith and Lance called for them as they took a step deeper into the house. They received no answer.

“What should we do?” Lance asked frantically.

“Maybe we should split up and search different places,” Keith replied, his eyes scanning the area. “It seems a little big, so it might be a good idea.”

Lance turned to look at the staircase in front of them. The structure was a little damaged--with a few boards missing, and some nails sticking out--and Keith wasn’t sure how long it could last without breaking under their feet and dropping them into god knows where. Lance seemed to meditate on the possibility of walking upstairs to explore for a moment, but then turned to look at Keith with widened eyes.

“Maybe you should explore upstairs and I’ll look around down here. I don’t think they could have gone too far anyway.”

Keith raised his brows in amusement, the fear in Lance’s voice obvious enough for anyone to recognise. Nonetheless, he nodded. “Alright,” he said, “but be careful. Wouldn’t want you to get killed by a ghost while I’m up there.”

Lance glared at him but nodded. “You should be careful too,” he said softly. His lips lifted into a smirk. “Wouldn’t want you to fall and die on that staircase.”

Keith snorted as he walked towards the stairs. He carefully took each step upwards, making sure not to break anything as he went. He thought of the children, probably running upstairs as they were racing each other when they had walked inside, and he wondered if it truly had occurred to them to go upstairs.

_ “They’re probably safe wherever they are,” _ Keith thought.  _ “If they didn’t go upstairs then it’s more likely they’re safe.” _

He looked down the corridor when he reached the top. His curiosity took the best of him and he decided to explore the first room before him. To his surprise, the room didn’t seem as unused as he expected, as though the last person who had lived in it had been there only a few days prior. The room was decorated in an old-fashioned way, with Victorian furniture and a worn out wallpaper, reminding him of a vampire who didn’t keep up with the times. But it was also neat and well polished--having much less dust than Keith had imagined. The room didn’t appear to hide anything mysterious at first glance, with the exception of a strange, small bulge underneath the sheets.

He took a look around the room. There was an eerie feeling to it that he couldn’t describe, like someone was watching his every move, waiting for the right moment to strike. He noticed a few strands of hair coming out of the borders of the closet, and his heart thudded against his chest. Against his better judgement, he went to inspect it. When he opened the closet door, he sighed in relief when he realised it was only a wig.

“Good job trying to scare me,” he muttered, then turned his attention towards the bulge under the sheets, his hand carefully tugging the hem. “Now what do we have here?”

He pulled the sheets away to uncover an old porcelain doll, a lot of its paint faded. He picked it up, remembering all the stories about scary dolls he had read in the past, and thought the one in his hands perfectly fit the description of  _ scary doll _ . He ran a finger over the small frown on its lips, trying to wipe off a smudge of dust, before he placed her back onto the bed.

His eyes shifted towards another door in the corner, and he walked towards it. It led him to a bathroom that was much filthier and nowhere near as well-kept as the room he had just left. Every corner of it had been visibly damaged by humidity, tiles had fallen all across the room, and the faucet was faulty and dripping. He noticed there were maroon stains on the mirror and his eyes narrowed--his heart thudding loudly against his chest.

“What the fuck happened here?” he muttered, his eyes still wandering around the small room.

His hand carefully tugged at the curtains that covered the bathtub, revealing more of that maroon liquid overflowing from it. He quickly covered his nose, the smell of it filling his nostrils and making him sick. The stench, though unrecognisable, reminded him of copper and Lance’s socks after being used for every day of the week during winter ( _ “To keep the warmth,” _ he had explained).

He decided to leave the bathroom, the smell of it alone being enough to usher him away. For a moment he considered checking out the other rooms, but he remembered Lance’s frightened look when they entered the house--how worried he had been at the thought of something happening to his niece and nephew. Keith then decided to walk downstairs again.

As he expected, Lance was nowhere in sight, but he didn’t recall hearing any strange noises or high-pitched screams, so Lance was probably safe. Keith called for him a couple of times, but when he received no response, he found himself stepping into what looked like a library in hopes of finding an answer.

The library, although not as big as he thought, was full of old, dusty books Keith thought he would enjoy going through. He smiled at the thought of having a library of his own. He could fondly imagine spending his afternoons sitting on the windowsill with a book about two princes falling in love despite the circumstances at hand, the quiet of the place making his heart warm and steady.

His hands went through a few tomes he found on a shelf, his fingers gently gracing each of the covers with curiosity. He owned a few copies of old books his mother had lent to him, explaining how they were passed down through each generation as a family member became of age. They had belonged to Keith’s great great grandfather once, a man who was very fond of reading, just like Keith.

He smiled at the thought of his mother handing him a family heirloom when he heard loud footsteps coming towards him. His hand instinctively went to his back pocket to grab the pocket knife he always carried around, his heart thudding loudly against his chest. He walked towards the footsteps without thinking, and he almost ran into a tall and lanky boy.

He let out a loud sigh of relief when his eyes found Lance. The boy in question didn’t look as relieved, but the crease between his brows softened at the sight of Keith. Keith offered him a smile, which Lance hesitantly returned.

“I thought you were lost in here,” Keith said softly.

Lance shook his head. “I was exploring the kitchen,” he assured Keith. “I’m not sure what happened in this house, but I think it’s haunted. There’s some really weird stuff going on around here.”

Keith nodded. “Definitely. There was this really gross liquid upstairs in the bathroom and a creepy doll in one of the bedrooms. We should find the kids as soon as possible, or at least find some clues about whatever may be going on here.”

Lance nodded frantically, a wild look on his face. He turned to look at the books Keith had been going through earlier, and his expression softened. “Were you reading during my absence?” he asked, amused.

Keith felt his cheeks redden and moved towards the shelf. “Not really, but I was tempted to,” he replied. “I think there’s a part of me that’s slightly afraid to destroy an old book if I don’t handle it with extreme care.”

Lance smiled, his hand hovering over the book Keith had been touching. Keith’s breath hitched at the closeness of their hands, and he hoped Lance didn’t notice. “So fearless Keith is afraid of old books,” he said cheekily, then locked eyes with Keith--his ears slightly pink. “It’s kind of cute that you worry so much about these things.”

“Why would anyone in their right mind want to damage a book that’s survived for who knows how many decades? It’s practically a relic now.”

Lance snorted, then ran a hand over another tome, his eyes narrowing as he read the title. “ _ Cedarwood House: a Family Anthology _ .”

Keith perked up at the title of the book, then he took it from Lance’s hands, his fingers frantically flipping through the pages. He hastily skimmed over each of the paragraphs, trying to find potential clues and keywords.

“Hey, I had that book!” Lance exclaimed.

“Sorry,” Keith said nonchalantly. “But I think this book might give us answers about what’s going on with this house. Look,” he said, pointing at a paragraph.

Lance crossed his arms and was glaring at him, but his eyes shifted to Keith’s index finger and the paragraph he was pointing at. Keith continued, “It says here that the man who originally owned this house died before the construction of the house was finished. Apparently his wife thought she had seen his ghost a few times while she lived here, and her children thought she had gone mad.”

Lance’s eyes widened, and although he didn’t say anything, Keith was sure Lance was growing scared. Keith hesitated, but he thought it would be better for the two of them if Lance knew the whole story.

“And then it says that one of her daughters lived here with her husband afterwards, but she was unsure about his faithfulness and grew mad over the years before she finally killed him in their room when he had attempted to get rid of one of the dolls she owned. No one was entirely sure about it, but many of the later generations firmly believed that the house was haunted.”

“Keith…” Lance said, his voice full of fear.

Keith placed a reassuring hand on Lance’s shoulder. “I’m sure Sylvio and Nadia are okay, but we should find them quickly and get out of here.”

Lance nodded and placed a hand on top of Keith’s. They locked eyes for a moment, then turned their back to the shelf where they had found the book. When they faced the other way, Keith froze when he realised the porcelain doll Keith had found upstairs was now sitting on top of a shelf. Keith gulped.

“Let’s go now.”

They frantically ran around the house while yelling the kids’ names, but they received no response. They refused to walk inside any more rooms after what had just happened, the image of the porcelain doll materializing out of nowhere still fresh in their minds. Without realising it, Keith’s hand had slipped onto Lance’s, and their fingers had intertwined as they ran.

“Do you think they might have run to the garden?” Lance asked, his voice tinted with worry.

Keith stopped in his tracks to consider Lance’s question, then nodded. “Maybe they did, since they haven’t answered us and they don’t seem to be in any of the rooms,” he said confidently. He looked at the way Lance’s brows furrowed, and he gently caressed the back of Lance’s hand with his thumb. “If there’s anything weird in this house, I highly doubt it’s out in the garden. They probably enjoy messing around with the objects inside the house to scare whoever tries to explore it.”

Lance looked at him and gave him a hesitant smile. “You’re probably right.”

They walked towards the garden, each step quicker than the last. It was a small garden, probably fit for a grand house and not for a manor. The plants around it were dead and dry, as Keith had imagined they would be, but there were still a few flowers that had been salvaged. Keith’s eyes instantly found the two children they had been looking for eating the candy from their bags, along with two figures sitting in front of them.

“What are you two doing here?” Keith asked, his tone slightly angrier than he intended.

Shiro and Adam looked up at him, amusement clear in their faces. There was a little bag full of candy sitting between them, and Keith realised they were eating candy by themselves too.

“Hey there, brother, it’s good to see you too,” Shiro said, and his smirk still hadn’t vanished. He grabbed a lollipop from the bag and opened it loudly. “Who would have imagined we would find each other here?”

Adam shook his head. “I think it might be a good time to tell him what happened.”

“What happened?” Lance asked, a brow raised questioningly. He stepped in front of Keith and faced Adam and Shiro with his arms crossed. Keith never realised that they had stopped holding hands, but he missed the warmth that emanated from Lance’s body.

“We bought this house earlier this month,” Shiro said, his smirk turning into a grin. “It was Keith’s idea originally, but I wanted to keep it as a surprise for him so we never said anything. We just moved this week, but since it never occurred to him to come and visit us, he never found out.”

“Then Lance told us you guys would visit this neighborhood to trick-or-treat with the kids,” Adam continued explaining, “So we spent our entire week setting up the house to make it seem like it was haunted. We even made up a whole story about how everything took place. I, of course, created that book hoping that Keith would try to figure out the story behind this house.” He grinned.

“I can’t fucking believe,” Keith said, shaking his head. He was now standing next to Lance, his eyes shifting from Shiro to Adam threateningly.

“We took a big risk doing this!” Shiro exclaimed. “We kept the door open for a few hours so that the kids would enter, when anyone could have come inside without us realising. We could have been robbed.”

Lance glared at them before he turned to look at the children, who were listening to the entire story intently with satisfied smiles covering their faces. Just then, Lance’s expression softened. “Thank you for taking care of Sylvio and Nadia,” he said softly.

“Oh, it was nothing,” Adam replied. “We had a lot of fun chatting and making fun of you two. Their dad will be proud to hear about all the candy they collected. I think they broke a record this year.”

“Mr. Adam and Mr. Shiro gave each of us a bag full of chocolates!” Sylvio exclaimed. “They said we deserved it more than you two because we weren’t scared.”

Lance turned to the couple with a glare, then shook his head. “Alright, well, I think that’s enough haunted houses for the day. We gotta go back home before your mother kills me.”

The two children nodded and stood up, each following Lance happily as he walked back inside. Keith turned to look at his brother and his boyfriend before waving goodbye and promising to visit again by the end of the week, then followed Lance.

 

* * *

 

 

The ride back to the children’s home was mostly quiet, aside from a few comments from Sylvio and Nadia about the candy they had collected. Their mother was happy to see them home safely, and she thanked Keith and Lance for bringing them back in time.

Lisa offered both of them dinner. She had been preparing soup for when the children arrived, and Keith and Lance couldn’t find it in their hearts to say no to her, so they sat in the kitchen together as Sylvio and Nadia watched Halloween Disney movies.

Lance observed them carefully, smiling whenever one of them screamed in excitement. Keith stood there in silence, not really finding the correct words to express what the scene before made him feel. It was as though he was part of this family—had always been, and Sylvio and Nadia were the children Lance had always said he wanted to have.

Keith nearly choked at his own thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

“Yeah,” Keith cleared his throat, “Yeah, I’ve just been thinking.”

Lance locked eyes with him, the pale lighting from the kitchen making his eyes look brighter, like stars against the darkness. Keith’s breath hitched. “About what?”

“You know,” Keith replied, scratching the back of his neck, “Today’s events, Shiro’s new home, everything that happened in there.”

“Oh,” Lance said thoughtfully. He hesitated before he spoke again, his eyes downcast. “There’s something I wanna tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Well,” Lance said, his voice higher-pitched than usual. His eyes shifted towards his niece and nephew dancing in front of the TV and he let out a little laugh. Keith’s heart hammered against his chest. When Lance looked at him again, there was a newfound fire in his eyes. “You held my hand when we were searching for the children.”

Keith’s eyes widened. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you-”

“You didn’t,” Lance assured him, then ran a hand through his hair, an old nervous habit. “Actually, I really liked it. And I thought maybe we could… watch some movies together once we’re back in our apartment. You know, to keep the Halloween vibe going.”

Keith blinked twice. “I think we’ve had enough scares for the rest of the week.”

Lance laughed. “We could watch Disney movies, like our fellow friends over there.” He pointed at Sylvio, who was grinning at him expectantly. Just then, Nadia whispered something into her brother’s ear.

“You know, it’s rude to whisper in front of other people!” Lance said in a jokingly stern tone.

Sylvio took a step towards them, a cheeky grin covering his face. “We just wanted to know when the two of you will kiss,” the boy said. Keith’s eyes widened in surprise. “Nadia says you probably won’t until you’re back home because couples don’t like kissing in front of others unless they’re show-offs, and I said you were saying love things to each other already so it could happen soon.”

Keith’s face felt warm, and he turned to look at Lance, whose surprised expression matched his own. They locked eyes for a moment without saying anything, before Keith moved his lips towards Lance’s cheek in a swift movement. He took a deep breath, then turned to the kids again.

“Nadia’s right,” he said after clearing his throat. Lance was staring at him, stunned, his eyes as wide as plates. “And we better leave now, you two should be going to bed soon.”

Lance nodded. “Right, yes. Off to bed, kids.”

The two children groaned but moved towards their respective rooms. Their mother, who had been watching the entire scene play out, gave them an amused smile before bidding them goodnight. She followed her children to their rooms after closing the door behind Keith and Lance.

Keith began walking towards Lance’s car with a pleased smile on his face when he realised Lance wasn’t following him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Lance stared at him, a certain confusion in his eyes. “You said we would kiss, and you kissed my cheek,” he replied, his hand hovering over the ghost of Keith’s earlier kiss.

“Oh I—well, we were just—”

“It’s just the two of us now,” Lance said eagerly. “You can kiss me.”

Keith felt his cheeks redden again, but he awkwardly leaned towards Lance. He cursed to himself when his nose accidentally bumped against Lance’s, but he let out a soft sigh as Lance’s lips gently touched his, the taste of fresh mint welcoming Keith’s mouth. When Keith opened his eyes again, Lance was smiling at him.

“So a little movie marathon, yes or no?” Lance asked, a huge grin spreading on his face.

“We could watch  _ Monsters Inc _ .,” Keith replied, “To keep the Halloween spirit going. We’ll bring some blankets to the living room and just stay there together.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lance said before he quickly planted a kiss on Keith’s cheek. He winked at him before hopping into the car. “Let’s make this Halloween the best of our lives!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this fic, I hope it was enjoyable! If you ever want to gush to me about klance or talk about anything, you can find me on Twitter ([roymvstangs](https://twitter.com/roymvstangs)) and Tumblr ([bleulily](http://bleulily.tumblr.com/))


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